The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7344 pp416
9 April 2005

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Health policies 2005: how the main parties in the General Election compare

Michael Thompson (on the staff of The Journal) examines the health manifestos produced by the three main political parties for next month’s General Election. The policies only apply to England because responsibility for health in Scotland and Wales is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales

Anyone who wants to decide which party to vote for in next month’s General Election will be hard pressed to choose between the health policies of the three main political parties.

When all is said and done, the two changes that most people want in the NHS are shorter waits for diagnosis and treatment and cleaner hospitals because of rising concern about multiple antibiotic resistant infections. Both of these feature in the health manifestos of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats also want less political interference in the NHS, but explicit statements on this are absent from the Labour manifesto. However, the Liberal Democrat version of less political interference means having health care commissioning decisions made by local councils instead of by primary care trusts.

The LibDems justify this by seeing health and social care as two sides of the same coin. They also want to help people make healthy choices by introducing a “traffic light” labelling system for food and banning smoking in all public places. They believe that people need more control over their own health care and will encourage regular health MOTs, give more support to hospices and palliative care and will expect the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to evaluate complementary and alternative therapies.

A LibDem government would end the current NHS contract with dentists and replace it with a system that rewards dentists for providing preventive care supported by personal dental plans for individual patients. They also want to make more diagnostic tests available through pharmacies.

The Conservatives say that they will transfer £1.25bn to front line care by abolishing strategic health authorities and reducing the number and functions of primary care trusts. They will also slim down the Department of Health and reduce the number of health inspectorates and quangos. All NHS hospitals will become foundation hospitals paid for what they do, rather than through allocated budgets, and there will be no national employment policies. GPs, not PCTs, will be responsible for commissioning care for patients. Out-of-hours care, A&E departments, ambulance services and NHS Direct will be more integrated. The Tories also plan to address staff shortages in the NHS by giving professionals wider responsibilities in the belief that this will make the job more attractive.

The cost to individuals of long-term care under the Conservatives will be restricted to three years’ fees, after which all bills will be met from taxes. NHS dentistry will also be reformed by introducing capitation payments for adult preventive care and a monthly payment system for people who are liable for NHS dental changes.

The Labour Party is committing itself to a three-part pledge of quicker care, choice and freedom from charges. It will use private, as well as improved NHS, resources to guarantee that patients get diagnosed and treated within 18 weeks of GP referral. All patients will be able to choose from four or five hospitals by the end of 2005 and from any hospital that meets Healthcare Commission standards and charges NHS approved prices by 2008. Staff numbers are expected to rise and unspecified steps will increase staff retention. Under Labour, patient choice might be extended to include mental health and community services.